1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a flash apparatus in which a light-emitting portion and a main body are joined, with the main body and an attachment portion being joined, both in a turnable manner by means of turning portions, so light can be emitted with the light-emitting portion being directed in an arbitrary direction. The present invention also relates to an imaging apparatus to which the flash apparatus is attached in a freely detachable manner.
2. Description of the Related Art
Japanese Published Patent Application No. 11-174542, for example, discloses a flash apparatus of related art used in an electronic still camera or the like. An external stroboscopic apparatus capable of being freely attached to and detached from a camera is described in this patent document. This stroboscopic apparatus is capable of being attached to and detached from a camera, and it includes a stroboscopic zoom drive circuit, an imager and an imaging lens system. The stroboscopic zoom drive circuit modifies a stroboscopic irradiation angle in response to a signal from the camera. The imager picks up an image of a subject with an electronic imaging device and converts it to an electronic image. The imaging lens system forms an image of luminous flux of a subject in the electronic imaging device and modifies a focal length in relation to a modification of a stroboscopic irradiation angle by the stroboscopic zoom drive circuit.
According to the stroboscopic apparatus described in the above-described patent document having such structure, it is expected that an image that has been photographed can be checked, with a camera being not enlarged, and thus not impairing portability.
Further, Japanese Published Patent Application No. 62-76974, for example, discloses another flash apparatus of the related art. A video camera with an illuminating light is described in this patent document. This video camera with the illuminating light includes an illuminating light using a battery, which is provided close to an imaging lens. An angle α formed by an optical axis of the illuminating light and the optical axis of the imaging lens is set to satisfy α=(θ2−θ)/2 provided that θ2=tan−1(a/S0+tan θ), where θ is ½ the view angle of the lens, a is the space between the lens and the illuminating light and S0 is the closest distance. Further, β which is the irradiation angle of the illuminating light, is set to satisfy θ+θ2≦β≦θ2.
According to a video camera with an illuminating light having such structure, it is expected that a battery-driven illuminating light which is low in power consumption and is small in light quantity can be used in a video camera because of a favorable irradiation efficiency.
However, regarding the stroboscopic apparatus in the above-described Japanese Published Patent Application No. 11-174542, a turning portion for shifting the position of a Fresnel lens, which is a light emitting part, to an arbitrary position is not provided. Therefore, the position of a Fresnel lens is fixed to face a subject. Hence, in the case where a lens device of an imaging apparatus using this stroboscopic apparatus greatly protrudes toward a subject due to, for example, a zoom lens, conversion lens or the like, an inconvenience may occur. Namely, if flash photography is carried out with the lens device close to the subject, part of light emitted from the stroboscopic apparatus is obstructed by the lens device, and so part of a photographed image is dimmed to cause what is called an eclipse. Moreover, only the photography of directly irradiating a subject with light can be carried out, and therefore what is called bounce photography in which light is emitted toward a wall, ceiling or the like and then a subject is irradiated with the reflected light, may not be carried out.
Also, regarding the video camera with the illuminating light in the above-described Japanese Published Patent Application No. 62-76974, an illuminating light is provided in the vicinity of a lens device of a video camera of a fixed focus type in which a view angle may not change. The angle of light emitted from the illuminating light is set at a predetermined angle, so that unnecessary irradiation, a deficiency in irradiation range and the like with respect to a photographed image are prevented. Thus, there is a problem that it is difficult to change the emission angle of the illuminating light when photography is carried out with a view angle that is altered, such as the case of zoom photography. Further, since the illuminating light is fixed facing a subject, it is difficult to carry out bounce photography similarly to the case of the stroboscopic apparatus in the above-described Japanese Published Patent Application No. 11-174542.